


Something Lost and Something Gained.

by Larxicana



Series: Linked Universe [10]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Acceptance, Bittersweet, Flower meanings, Happy Ending, Moving On, Writing Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-30 02:43:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19033132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Larxicana/pseuds/Larxicana
Summary: Wild gathers some flowers as a sign of remembrance of someone who passed away long ago, but gave him the world.***For the Discord writing prompt: Flowers.





	Something Lost and Something Gained.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my sort of interruption of how Wild would view losing his memories then going out into the world. I hope you like it <3
> 
> This is based off the Linked Universe AU by Jojo on Tumblr and ya'll should totally go check it out! So good.

It was early in the morning. The sun lit the sky, but hadn’t shown itself over the horizon just yet. Wild was awake, coaxing a fire to life so he could throw together a warm breakfast for the start of their day while Twilight helped by pealing potatoes beside him with a small dagger. The only other hero awake and alert was Time, but he said he wanted to watch the sunrise that morning, so it was really just the two of them. Wild dropped some butter into the pot to melt then added in the potatoes after they were cut into smaller cubes. He pushed them around a little with his wooden spoon, watching it, but not entirely there. Twilight glanced up from his last potato and took notice, nudging his thigh with his foot to get his attention, “S’on yer mind, cub?” He asked.

Wild shook his head and tossed in some chopped onion, earning a satisfying sizzle. “I was just thinking about something that’s been running through my head for a while now.”

“Care ta share?”

The younger one tilted his head as he pushed the onions around, mixing them in with the butter and potatoes. “I want to collect some flowers this morning, after breakfast. There’s a field nearby with a bunch of them in full bloom.” He looked over at the other, “Do you wanna help?”

Twilight shrugged as he tossed the last root into the pot, “Sure, why not? We ain’t in no hurry ta get somewhere. You gonna make crowns or somethin’?”

Wild chuckled and gave him a smile, “I could, if you really want one.”

“Fine, but they gotta be warm colors. Compliments mah completion.” The two shared a quiet laugh at this, so not to wake the others.

As the sun finally broke the horizon, Time returned and the others started to stir at the smell of food. When breakfast was finished, Wild had the others clean up while he and Twilight made their way to the neighboring field. The eldest of the two whistled when they crest the hill, putting his hands on his hips as he looked across the field of wild flowers. “Yer world sure is pretty.” He told him as he took in the sight, then looked down at him, “So, any kinda flower?”

“Yes, but there are a few specific ones I’m looking for.” Wild grabbed his Shiekah Slate from his belt to pull up his achieve of plant life to show Twilight pictures, “I’d like some lilies, gladiolus, and carnations. Mostly lilies. The rest can be a mix.”

Twilight studied the pictures closely, then nodded, “Right, I can do that.”

With that, the two got to work. Twilight focused on finding the main three Wild wanted first, then filled in the gaps with other flowers whose colors he thought went well with the others. When he had a small bouquet, he went to find him. The younger one was on his hands and knees, carefully picking the flowers from their groupings, so not to harm the actual plant. He was always careful like that and never took too much. He looked up at the sound of the other’s approach and studied his bounty when he held it up, then nodded once. “Yeah, that’s good.” He stood and brushed off his knees, then grabbed his on collection. He gave it to Twilight to add to the rest then fiddled with his slate for a moment. “The place I’m taking them can only be reached by teleporting…” He looked up at the other, “is that ok?”

“Ya want me to come with ya?”

“Yeah, if you don’t mind.”

Twilight shrugged and made a face, “Nah, s’fine. Where’re we goin’?”

Wild nodded then moved to stand beside him and link his arm with his, “You’ll see. Hold on, here we go.” He told him then tapped something on the screen. Twilight watched as their forms turned blue and became lighter and lighter, until he felt like nothing and could see only blue. It only lasted for a few moments, and soon his feet were touching down on solid ground again. He rolled his shoulders, but was otherwise fine. “You handle that better than the others.” Wild told him with a little chuckle in his throat.

“Use ta travel like that all the time.” The southern boy answered, “Don’t bother me none.” He took a moment to look around. They had landed in the grass by a rock face and a cave. He turned and saw they were standing on an outstretched cliff that over looked nearly all of Hyrule. “Whoa…” He walked to the edge to admire the view for a long moment. Wild stepped up beside him to do the same as a comfortable silence settled over them. “I could stand here all day and look at this.” Twilight murmured.

“It’s intoxicating.” Wild agreed. They stood there for a moment longer, letting the warm breeze saunter through the trees then roll over their skin. Finally he nudged him, “Come on.” He took the flowers from him and started towards the cave.

Twilight turned to follow him. “Where are we goin’?” He asked as they stepped inside. He looked around to see the walls weren’t what he expected of a cave. There were electrical lights mounted on the wall and tiles on the floor deeper in. They entered through a doorway, then another, until they were standing in a large chamber with what looked like some sort of holding tank in the center. Twilight paused at the door and watched Wild walk over to it. He stood there for a long time just staring at it, then gently set the flowers inside. Confused as a small feeling of dread settled in his chest, he moved to stand just behind the younger then placed his hand on his shoulder after a moment of hesitation. “Wild… what is this place?”

The boy didn’t respond for a while, just eying the tub. “This was where I woke up.” He finally spoke. “This was where they brought me when I fell on the battlefield a little over a hundred years ago. This tank was filled with some sort of water that healed all my wounds and brought me back to life.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as he looked at the device with new horror. This was where Wild had been sleeping for all those years, practically on death’s door. It felt almost wrong to be here, a little unsettling. It was so quiet in the chamber and fairly dark, that it seemed to have a sort of coldness to it, making the gentle flowers in the center of the tub seem out of place. “I don’t understand…” Twilight started, looking at him again, “Why’d you wanna come back ta a place like this? And with flowers?”

“It seemed like the right thing to do.” Wild replied, glancing up at him, then back at the tub. “This was where my past life, the person I was before, died. I lost all my memories because of the treatment and even though I’ve gained some back, they don’t feel like they’re mine. I think back to some of the sadder ones and I feel upset because what happened was terrible, but I don’t have the same emotional attachment to them now as I did then. It’s like watching a play of someone else’s life, you know?” He shrugged, “It doesn’t make me sad, because that’s not my life anymore. And yeah I carry the scars from that time and it should make it more real for me, but it doesn’t, and that’s fine.” He smiled up at Twilight, “I like the way my life is right now and don’t need my past to appreciate it. Actually, it was kind of exciting to discover everything again all on my own. I didn’t have past experiences to go off, so I just sort of… went. No hesitation.” He shrugged again and looked back down at the flowers in the tub, “I wanted to bring these here to pay respect to that person and wish them a peaceful rest. That person is gone now, but I still want to honor them and remember them, because if they hadn’t sacrificed so much, I wouldn’t have what I do now.”

Twilight was quiet as the other spoke, listening to his words that should have been sad, but weren’t. How many of them dwelled on the past, lived with regrets, and were haunted by memories of things they wish they could have done differently? He was positive every hero back at camp suffered from at least one of those things - if not all three - with himself included. As odd as what Wild was saying sounded… he supposed it made sense. He could have fallen into depression from the thought he would never be who he once was ever again, but instead he moved on. He learned from his past self and didn’t let it hold him back. Twilight… found himself a little jealous.

The younger one looked back up at him after a moment of silence, “Is that weird?” He asked quietly.

Twilight paused, staring at the holding tank and the flowers resting inside, then shook his head, “No.” He took a deep breath and smiled at him, lifting a hand to place on top of the other’s head. “No it’s not. ‘M glad yer not burdened by things like that. Guess I should be grateful to yer past life too. He did a lotta sufferin’ to get ya to this point,” he tossed an arm around Wild’s shoulders to yank him closer, “and I’m kinda fond of ya just the way ya’re.” Wild chuckled a little in his throat and wrapped an arm around the older boy’s waist, leaning into his side a little. Twilight gave his shoulder a squeeze then patted it before dislodging himself from him. “I’ll wait outside, k? Take yer time.” He stuffed his hands into his pocket and took a few steps backwards, then disappeared through the door.

Wild watched him go until he couldn’t see him anymore then turned back to the flowers in the tank, moving to kneel beside it. He placed a hand on it, eying the spot where his head had rested, imaging what it must have looked like when he lied there sleeping for so long. Honestly, when he tried to picture it, he felt like he was looking at someone else. He didn’t have all his memories from the past back, but the ones with the princess weren’t very happy. As he ran his fingertips over the ornate decorations around the tank, he thought about the kind of weight that person from the past must have been carrying. He had been assigned to protect a princess that loathed him and prepare for a war he didn’t understand. He had been thrust a sword and everyone assumed he had everything figured out already because of it. Little did anyone seem to understand how heavy it must have been, not just because of the wood and metal it was made out of, but because of what came with it. On his back he carried a symbol that gave people hope that he was strong enough to stop the darkness, he carried expectations that he would be successful and save them all of them, and he carried a weapon that would take many lives in the name of saving lives. In the end, Will had retrieved the same sword to finally put an end to the Calamity and complete the task his past self had been been preparing for. The people were freed of their lingering fears and the princess of her confinement. As Wild looked down at the flowers resting against the empty tank, reaching out to caress one of the lily petals gently, he wondered if that person from the past felt a sense of relief now, a peace he hadn’t known before. If there was one thing he hoped for out of all of this, it would be for the his ease of worries. Wild closed is eyes as he pressed his palm flat against the bottom of the tank, silently willing his wishes into reality. It was quiet in the room, with just the faintest echo of a soft breeze outside the cave. “Thank you,” he finally whispered, “for everything.”

A hand then touched his shoulder. Surprised, Wild opened his eyes and turned around, expecting to see Twilight, but instead saw nothing. He blinked and looked around the room as he touched the spot lightly. He frowned a little in confusion, but said nothing. He stood instead, taking one last look at the bouquet, then turned to leave.

When he stepped out into the warmth of the sun, he found Twilight sitting under a tree fiddling with something in his hands. As he got closer, he saw they were chrysanthemum and wild flowers in a bunch of different colors, but mostly red. “I understand now why ya wanted the lilies and such.” He said as he twisted a stem and tucked it under another. “They’re ta help souls pass on.” He fastened the last piece and held up the crown to admire, then pushed himself up to stand. He placed it on Wild’s head, causing the younger hero to touch it lightly. Twilight smiled at him, “Well, I think after something like that… this’d be good for a sorta beginnin’.”

Wild smiled at this, feeling a familiar emotion swell in his chest. He grabbed his wrist and dashed towards the cliff they had stood on before. He waved out to the world below it, “This was the first thing I saw when I stepped out of that cave. I remember it like it was yesterday. The sun was rising and birds were flying across the sky. I stood here and stared at it for a long time and felt this excitement build inside me. I mean, the kingdom was massive. I could only imagine what sort of things could be out there, and I was eager to find out.” He paused to gaze out across the land, then smiled up at Twilight, “Right now, I feel the same, and I hope it never fades.”

**Author's Note:**

> The flowers Wild gathered in the beginning are for loss and passage while the chrysanthemum mean hope and love.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
